Nepal UK
Photo credit: NEA
Dhaka - Bangladesh has agreed to import an additional 20 megawatts of electricity from Nepal, taking the total to 60 megawatts.
The agreement was reached during the 7th Nepal-Bangladesh Energy Secretary-level Joint Steering Committee (JSC) meeting held in Dhaka on Thursday.
The meeting was co-chaired by Nepal’s Energy Secretary Chiranjeevi Chataut and Farzana Momtaz, secretary at the Ministry of Power, Bangladesh.
The decisions endorsed at the meeting follow the recommendations of the joint task force, which met on November 20 under the leadership of Sandeep Kumar Dev, joint secretary at Nepal’s Ministry of Energy, and KM Ali Reza, additional secretary at Bangladeshi Ministry of Power.
“It has been agreed that Bangladesh will import an additional 20 megawatts of electricity, and Nepal will proceed with the process by obtaining the necessary approvals for exporting,” the Ministry of Energy said in a statement.
The pricing will remain unchanged from the earlier agreement, though Nepal must seek fresh approval for the additional supply. The extra 20 MW export is expected to begin in the next export cycle starting in mid-June, 2026.
As the power is transmitted through Indian territory, Nepal will require a new approval from India’s Central Electricity Authority for the additional export to Bangladesh, authorities said.
Nepal and Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on power-sector cooperation in August, 2018, establishing the JSC at the secretary level and a Joint Working Group (JWG) at the joint-secretary level to advance cross-border energy initiatives.
A tripartite Power Sales Agreement (PSA) between Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), and India’s NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd was signed in Kathmandu on October 3, 2024.
The PSA allows electricity trade during the monsoon months—June 15 to November 15—each year.
The current transmission route sends power from Nepal to India via the Dhalkebar–Muzaffarpur 400kV line, and onward to Bangladesh through the Berhampur–Bheramara 400kV corridor.
Nepal and Bangladesh have also agreed to study the export of electricity through alternative Indian transmission routes to Barapukuria, Panchagarh/Thakurgaon, Bheramara, and Comilla in Bangladesh.
According to Thursday’s statement, the two sides have additionally agreed to sign a new MoU on renewable energy promotion and energy-efficiency cooperation, with Bangladesh set to provide technical support to Nepal in energy testing, electric-vehicle charging, and rooftop solar.
At the end of fiscal year 2024–25, Nepal’s total installed generation capacity reached 3,591MW. System peak demand stood at 2,901MW, while national peak demand was 2,409MW, reports said.
